4 Steps to Reducing Business Travel Costs

Let’s get saving a little money on what drives your business, quite literally; travel. Below Irma Hunkeler, Head of operations at BlueGlass, gets us started with 4 simple steps to reducing travel expenses.

With so much in the way of technology to bring teams together virtually, you would be forgiven for thinking that offline meetings and interactions are becoming obsolete. Skype, Facetime, Slack, Google hangout – these are all wonderful ways to keep teams connected in an instant.

However, there’s a lot to be said for getting together face-to-face and taking meetings offline. What better way to close a deal with a client than with a firm handshake? Getting to know and engaging with your customers and clients in-person is a valuable tool for growing your brand which makes business travel a necessity for your company. The key is to find a way to balance the cost and value in order to justify the expense. Reduce your costs and take the stress out of planning business travel by following these tips:

1. Plan in Advance – you always get the best deals on trains and airfare when you plan in advance. If you know you have to be at a conference or meeting at a certain date, make it a priority to book your business travel as soon as possible when you get those dates. You can even get deals on most air, train and hotel fares when you plan in advance, so be sure to book as soon as you can.
2. Do Your Research – If you need to get around to multiple destinations while on your business trip, then be sure to do your research first. Just planning on hailing cabs to get you from A to B isn’t always the most cost effective option. Especially if you have to go outside of the main city centre. Renting a car can come out much cheaper if you need to be getting to different parts of a city or region during your trip. Easy Car have done all the research for you and have a list of the top 20 Best Value European Destinations for car hire .
3. Know Your Conversion Rates – Check XE currency converter and don’t get caught out with your conversion rates. Often times that £150 lunch you spent on a whim entertaining a client is much more expensive in your home currency, which can make expensing more difficult back home. Make sure you know the rates of conversion in the currency you need to ensure you make better choices when travelling that can save you money.
4. Work with Travel Agents – Travel agents have great relationships with suppliers and since they buy in bulk can get preferential rates for you and your employees. Perks such as hotel room or flight seat upgrades are often included when you book through travel agents. They can also help reduce your costs with flexible fares. If you have a team that constantly change travel plans, then working with a travel agent can help reduce or eliminate the costs you would normally pay when making a change to a booking. Find a trusted a travel company and leave the hassle of finding the most cost-effective travel solutions to them.

Business travel doesn’t have to be a hassle, be savvy, work with people in the know and you can reduce the costs for your company.